Chapter 1 (Exam 1: Chap 1-10) Flashcards
Biosphere
All life on Earth and all places life exists
1. (Ex: land, bodies of water, altitude, sediment)
Ecosystems
All living things in a particular area, along with the nonliving components with which life interacts like soil, water, atmospheric gases & light
1. (Ex: forests, grasslands, deserts, coral reefs)
Communities
the array of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem
- (Ex: In the forest: trees plants, animals, fungi & microorganisms)
a. Also the set of populations in a particular area
Population
All individuals of a species living within the bounds of a specific area
1. (Ex: forest has a population of maple trees and deer)
Organisms
individual living things
Organ & Organ Systems
- Organ: part of the body which carries out a specific function
a. Consists of MULTIPLE TISSUES - Organ systems: team of organs that work together for a larger function
Tissues
group of cells working together to perform a specialized function
1. (Ex: leaf tissue has pores in epidermis to allow entry of CO2 gas)
Cells
life’s fundamental unit of structure and function
- Single cells performs all the functions of life
- Multicellular cells have a division of labor among specialized cells
systems biology
exploration of the biological system by analyzing interactions among its parts
Eukaryotic Cell
contains membrane-enclosed organelles
• Some organelles are found in all cell types but others are specific to cell type
- Ex: chloroplasts only found in cells which undergo photosynth.
Prokaryotic Cell
single-celled microorganisms
• NO nucleus or membrane-enclosed organelles
• Smaller than eukaryotic cells
• Ex: bacteria and archaea
Gene
section of DNA on a chromosome
Encodes information to build all molecules synthesized inside a cell
Identifies cell IDENTITY and FUNCTION
Genes can provide the blueprints for making proteins
Gene expression
the process by which the info in a gene directs the manufacture of a cellular product
Reductionism
reduces complex systems into simpler components which are easier to study
Genome
the ‘library’ of genetic instructions inherited by an organism
Genomics
the process in which researchers study whole sets of genes in one or more species at a time
Proteomics
the study of sets of proteins and their properties
Proteome
entire sets of proteins expressed by a given cell or group of cells
Bioinformatics
the use of computational tools to store, analyze, and organize high volumes of data that comes from analyzing a bunch of biological samples at one time
consumers
organisms that feed on producers and other consumers
feedback regulation
when the output, or product, of a process regulates the process
negative feedback
a loop in which the response reduces the initial stimulus
positive feedback
End product speeds up is own production
Organelles (#9)
functional components of cells
